Sixteen Gulls Selected in the 2019 MLB Draft
June 7, 2019 - New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL)
Newport Gulls News Release
NEWPORT, R.I. - When the 2019 MLB Draft wrapped up Wednesday night, the Newport Gulls were left with 16 former players drafted by 13 different clubs. Newport led all other teams in the New England Collegiate Baseball League with the most players selected in draft, including the most in the first round (3), as well as the most players selected in the first ten rounds (8).
The first Gull off the board was the Vanderbilt outfielder and 2017 Gull JJ Bleday. The Miami Marlins selected the power-hitting lefty with the 4th overall pick of the draft. Bleday appeared in 24 games for the Gulls in 2017, tallying nine doubles and two home runs in his 16 hits for Newport. This past spring at Vanderbilt, Bleday led nation with 26 home runs, while also finishing the year with a .353 batting average and more walks (52) than strikeouts (51).
With the 25th pick of the draft, the Los Angeles Dodgers selected the Tulane and 2018 Gull Kody Hoese. In his summer in the City by the Sea, Hoese hit .283 with seven home runs, earning himself a spot in the NECBL All-Star Game. As a junior for the Green Wave, Hoese was tied for 4th in the nation with 23 home runs and led Tulane in nearly every offensive statistical category. He finished the year with a .391 average and 1.265 OPS.
Missouri outfielder and 2017 Gull Kameron Misner rounded out the Gulls selected in the first round when the Miami Marlins selected him with the 35th overall pick. Misner played in 38 games for Newport and led the team in average (.378), home runs (8), RBI (25), and doubles (13), securing himself a spot on the South All-Stars team in the NECBL All-Star Game. For Missouri this year, Misner hit .286 and led the team in walks with 54.
Stanford left-handed pitcher and 2017 Gull Erik Miller was the next man off the board when he was taken in the fourth round by the Philadelphia Phillies. The southpaw started in five games for the Gulls, striking out 19 batters in 18.1 innings pitched. For Stanford this past spring, Miller finished with a 3.15 ERA, striking out 97 batters in 80.0 innings pitched. Opponents hit just .224 off of the lefty.
Just four picks later, the versatile RHP/OF from Florida State and former 2017 Newport Gull J.C. Flowers was selected by the Pittsburgh Pirates with the 124th overall selection. Flowers did not pitch during his time in Newport, but did end the summer with a .286 average. Flowers found his stride this year both at the plate and on the mound for the Seminoles, hitting .278 with 13 home runs while throwing 22 strikeouts through 23.2 innings pitched en route to 11 saves and a 1.52 ERA.
Newport would have eleven more former Gulls selected in this year's 2019 MLB Draft, including three more from the 2018 roster, six more from the 2017 roster, and two from the 2016 roster. The complete 2019 draft class for Newport looks like this:
Player Round Overall Pick Drafted By Years w/ Gulls College Position
JJ Bleday 1 4 Miami Marlins 2017 Vanderbilt OF
Kody Hoese 1 25 Los Angeles Dodgers 2018 Tulane 3B
Kameron Misner 1CBA 35 Miami Marlins 2017 Missouri OF
Erik Miller 4 120 Philadelphia Phillies 2017 Stanford LHP
J.C. Flowers 4 124 Pittsburgh Pirates 2017 Florida St. RHP/ OF
Jack Little 5 161 Los Angeles Dodgers 2017 Stanford RHP
Drake Fellows 6 173 San Diego Padres 2017 Vanderbilt RHP
Stephen Scott 10 317 Boston Red Sox 2016 Vanderbilt OF
Andrew Daschbach 11 318 Baltimore Orioles 2017 Stanford 1B / OF
Carter Aldrete 15 446 San Francisco Giants 2017 Arizona St. INF
Chris Cornelius 16 480 Philadelphia Phillies 2018 Missouri INF
Nic Enright 20 610 Cleveland Indians 2018 Virginia Tech RHP
Kevin Strohschein 21 633 Washington Nationals 2016 Tennessee Tech OF
Cameron Enck 27 819 Colorado Rockies 2017 Rollins College RHP
Shay Smiddy 36 1088 Tampa Bay Rays 2017 Louisville RHP
Dillon Plew 40 1216 Houston Astros 2018 Washington St. INF
New England Collegiate Baseball League Stories from June 7, 2019
- Pitching Powers Mainers to Home-Opener Victory - Sanford Mainers
- Westerners Offense Overpowers the Bay Sox - New Bedford Bay Sox
- Mountaineers Open with a Win - Vermont Mountaineers
- Sixteen Gulls Selected in the 2019 MLB Draft - Newport Gulls
- Bay Sox Fall to Ocean State - New Bedford Bay Sox
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